Blade holder



Dec. 2, 1952 E. c. MANTHEY ETAL BLADE HOLDER Filed 001;. 19, 1949 w A 0 J 5% f nwww Z Patented Dec. 2, 1952 BLADE HOLDER EverettC. Manthey and Arnold M. Thompson,

ChicagmTIlL, assignors to Thompson Engineering '& Mfg.Co., Chicago, 111., a 'copartn'ers'hip Applicationflctbber 19, 1949, Serial No. 122,234

7 :ZIClaims.

-l The ;-present invention relates generally to holders. ,More particularly the invention relates to that-type of holder which is designed as a medium or instrumentalityfor holding'in an operatingor useablelposition ajblade, such as a razor'blade, and comprises a handle and blade holding means at one end of the handle. 7 Oneobjectbf .theinvention is to provide a blade zholder of this; type which is an improvement upon, rand-has certain inherent advantages over, .wpreaviouslyidesigned' holders and is characterized by the-fact: that it is both 'simplein design andhigh- :iyaeificientinoperation or use. p

Another-,object of the invention is to provide aazblade holder of, thetypeunder consideration-in whichithezhandle is tubular and'thebladehold' vingzmeans-isjnythe form of'a'collet-whichis dis- :posefd forthemost part' within the tubular han- ;dle,-aconsists-ofxa :handle housed shank and .four :coacting; xresilient rjjaws having certain ends ithereoffconnected to the shank and its other ends :laterally enlarged; and disposedexteriorly :of the lower end of the handle, is adapted when shifted orqslid' downwardshto a:-small extent relatively to :therhandle to have thejjaws; due to theirv inherent -resi1iency,, move apart' into, an open-blade receiving position,:is furtheradapted whewshifted up- "wards with :respect to -the handle to have .the lower :ends of the ,jaws' contractedby engagezzmentwith the lower; end 1 of the handle so that they firmlyggripthe'bladeiandhold the latter in its 'operatingior'useablegposition, and isl-so designed and constructed that, when not inuse, the azblade :may be "retained and fully sheathed or ihoused within the collet. by first opening the jaws iin irresponse to A downward shifting of the collet -relatiyely:,to;the handle, then sliding the'blade ulongitudinally'between-the jaws so that it isxfully acovered bythejaws. and finally shifting the collet -upwards1withprespect' to the handle so as toclose zthefiowerzexposed ends of the jawsgand thus re- 'atain'zthe "blade :in place. .Another object of the invention istoprovide in connection with ablade holder of the lastmentioned @character, an inverted cup-shaped cap 'swhich-is slidably and rotatably mounted on the runner end ofthe tubular body iandis so operativeilycconnected to the :collet 'bya longitudinally exztendingmod, one endof which isconnected to the iicrosswallxoffthe capfiandrthe other end'of-which iis :connected'to ithe upper end of the colletshank, 'ithat -it serves when depressed or slid downwards '-.-relatively to the handle, toshift the colletrdownwards forjawopening purposes eAnother object: of the invention :is to provide v 2 a blade holder of the type and character under consideration in which the collet is retractedeby a spiral compression spring which is disposed within the cup shaped cap and has, one end thereof disposed adjacent the-upper end of the tubular handle and its upper end in' abutment with the crosswall of the cap.

fore mentioned in which the rod constituting the operating connectionbetween the cap and the collet is in the form of a screw rod-and is soarranged and designed that-it operates in connection-with turning or rotation of-the cap relatively to the handleto vary the loading of the spring.

A still further object of theinvention is to provide a blade holder which is: generally .o'fnew and improved constructiontand embodies such an arrangement and-design of parts-thatit maybe manufactured at acomparatively lowcost. Other objects of theinventionand the various advantages and characteristics of the present blade holder willrbe apparentfrom. a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features whch are hereinafter-set 'forthand are more particularly defined by-claimsatthe conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and-forms a partof this specificationor'disclosure and in which like numerals of referencedenotecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a holder embodying the invention with a razor blade connected to the exposed ends of the jaws of .the collet and extending lengthwise ofthe handle ofthe holder so that it is'useable' as a convention knife;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectionv of the holder showing thecollet and cap in their spring-retracted positions, illustrating in full lines the position of the razor blade when sheathed orhoused between the jaws of the collet in connection with non-use thereof and also illustrating by .da'sh lines the manner in which the blade is capable of being connected to'thelower'ends of the collet jaws so as to extend transversely of the collet and be useable-as a scraper;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section showing the cap depressed soasto shift downwards the collet with respect to the tubular handle .for .jaw opening purposes; and

Figure 4 is a perspective of the four jawcollet.

The holder which is shown in the drawing constitutes the preferred form or embodiment .of the invention andserves .as; a mediumzo'rrinstrumentality for holding a conventional injector variety razor blade 5 in an operative position for use as well as an inoperative or fully sheathed position when not in use. The blade 5 is shown in the drawing as being materially longer than it is wide and as having along one margin thereof only a cutting edge 6. It is contemplated, however, that the blade 5 may, if desired, have cutting edges along both side margins. As its component parts the holder comprises a tubular body I, a collet 8, an inverted cup-shaped cap 9, a screw rod l and a spiral compression spring II It is adapted when not in use to be retained in the users pocket and, as hereinafter described, is capable of holding the blade in a position wherein it extends either lengthwise or crosswise of the handle.

The handle 1 is cylindrical and the internal diameter thereof as well as the external diameter is uniform from end to end. It is preferably formed of aluminum or any other suitable light, rigid metal and is open ended. It is contemplated that in certain uses and also when retained in the users pocket the tubular handle will assume a substantially vertical position.

The collet 8 constitutes the holding and retaining means of the holder and consists of a shank l2 and four jaws [3. It is essentially of one-piece character as shown in Figure 4 and is disposed for the most part within the central and lower portions of the interior of the tubular handle I. The shank [2 of the collet is cylindrical, embodies in its upper end a longitudinally extending centrally disposed screw threaded bore l4, and is of slightly less diameter than the inner periphery of the handle 1 in order that it is capable of sliding freely up and down in the handle. The four jaws 13 have the upper ends thereof formed integrally with the lower end of the shank l2 and are separated from one another by two longitudinally extending slots I5 which extend at right angles to one another. The lower ends of the jaws have laterally extending enlargements 16, the upper ends of which are upwardly tapered and the lower ends of which taper downwards and at all times are disposed exteriorly of the lower end of the tubular handle I. The jaws are resilient and, due to the fact that they are separated by the slots 15,

are capable of flexing towards one another into a closed position. When the collet 8 is slid or shifted upwards relatively to the tubular handle I the upper end of the laterally extending enlargements l5 coact with the lower end of the handle to cause the jaws to contract r move together into their closed position (see Figure 2). When the collet is shifted downwards with respect to the handle, as shown in Figure 3, the jaws l3, due to their inherent resiliency spread apart into an open or separated position. When the jaws are in the position last mentioned the slots [5 throughout their entire length are of greater thickness than the razor blade 5. The slots l5 are of greater length than the blade 5 in order that when the blade is not in use it may be inserted completely into one of the slots and held in a fully sheathed position between the jaws as shown in full lines in Figure 2. When it is desired to use the blade in a position wherein it extends lengthwise of the collet the collet is shifted downwards so as to open the jaws and the blade is permitted to slide downwards until it projects to any desired extent beyond the enlargements H5 at the lower ends of the jaws. Thereafter the collet is slid upwards with respect to the handle in order to bring the lower ends of the jaws into clamped relation with the upper end of the blade 5 (see full line position of blade in Figure 1). In the event that it is desired to use the blade as a scraper (see dash line position in Figure 2) the blade is first removed from the jaws of the collet after opening of the jaws by sliding the collet downwards relatively to the handle. While the jaws are in their open position the blade is positioned transversely or crosswise of the lower ends of the jaws and is manipulated so as to bring its central portion into the lower end of one of the slots I5. Thereafter the collet 8 is shifted upwards with respect to the tubular handle in order to cause the lower ends of the jaws tightly to grip the central portion of the blade. When the blade is positioned as shown in Figure 1 and it is desired to sheath or house it between the jaws of the collet the collet is first shifted downwards relatively to the handle for jaw opening purposes. Thereafter the blade is slid upwards until it is disposed completely between the collet jaws l3. After upward sliding of the blade the collet is slid or shifted upwards with respect to the handle in order to close the lower ends of the jaws and thus retain the blade in place.

The inverted U-shaped cap 9 is mounted rotatably and slidably on the upper end of the tubular handle 1 and consists of a vertically elongated crosswall I1 and a circular depending skirt l8. The crosswall I! of the cap has a longitudinally extending centrally disposed screw threaded bore IS, the upper end of which is closed and the lower end of which extends through the bottom face of the crosswall H. The upper end of the skirt is formed integrally with the lower end of the cap crosswall I1 and the lower end of the skirt extends around the upper end of the tubular handle I. A clip 20 for retaining the blade holder in the users pocket is suitably connected to the crosswall ll of the cap.

The screw rod l0 serves operatively to connect the cap 9 to the collet 8 so that when the cap is depressed, i. e., slid downwards with respect to the upper end of the handle, the collet 8 also moves downwards. The upper end of the screw rod [0 fits within the screw threaded bore [9 in the crosswall of the cap 9 and the lower end of the rod fits within the screw threaded bore M in the upper end of the shank [2 of the collet.

The spiral compression spring II extends around the central portion of the screw rod l0 and is disposed wholly within the depending skirt H! of the cap 9. It serves as a, medium for automatically retracting the cap and collet after downward shift of the latter for jaw opening purposes and has the upper end thereof positioned in abutment with the bottom face of the cap crosswall IT. The lower end of the spring abuts against the inner margin of a washer 2|, the outer margin of which is seated on the upper end of the tubular handle 1. The inner margin of the washer embodies 3, depending annular flange 22 which fits within the upper end of the handle 1 and holds the washer against lateral displacement with respect to the handle. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the central portion of the screw rod 10 extends through the hole or aperture in the washer. Compression or loading of the spring I1 is adjusted or varied by rotating the cap 9 relatively to the tubular handle 1. When the cap is turned so as to effect downward feeding of the lower end of the screw rod I in the screw threaded bore 14 the compression or load of the spring is increased and when the cap is reversely turned so as to feed the lower end of the screw rod upwards with respect to the bore 14 the compression or loading of the spring I I is reduced.

The herein described blade holder involves a novel design and arrangement of parts and iscapable of being produced at a comparatively low cost. It effectively and efficiently fulfills its intended purpose and is characterized by the fact that it maybe quickly and readily manipulated to efifect clamping of the razor blade in either of the blades operative positions. Due to the design and construction of the collet 8 the blade, when not in use, may be fully or completely housed between the collet jaws. Th component parts of the holder may be readily dismantled and this is attributable to the fact that the cap 9 is operatively connected to the collet 8 by the screw rod l0.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus dscribed the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a holder designed operatively to hold an elongated razor type blade and comprising a tubular handle adapted to be used in an upstanding position and having inwardly extending means at its upper end, a, collet mounted for the most part within, and longitudinally slidable with respect to, the handle and consisting of a shank and a plurality of resilient coacting jaws disposed beneath the shank, separated by an elongated, longitudinally extending, blade-receiving slot and having the upper ends thereof connected to the lower end of the shank and their lower ends laterally enlarged and located exteriorly of the lower end of the handle, said collet being adapted when slid downwards relatively to the handle to have the enlarged lower ends of the jaws move away from the lower end of the handle and spread apart into an open position for receiving in the portion of the slot therebetween a part of the blade, and being further adapted when slid upwards relatively to the handle to have the lower enlarged ends of its jaws so move into engagement with the lower end ofthe handle so as to cause them to contract and grip said part of the blade, an inverted cup-shaped cap extending around, and slidably mounted on the upper end of, the handle and consisting of a crosswall and a depending continuous skirt, a rod extending between, and connected to, the crosswall of the cap and the upper end of the shank and adapted when the cap is slid downwards with respect to the handle correspondingly to slide the collet, a spiral compression spring extending around the upper end of the rod, disposed wholly within the skirt of th cap,

having one end thereof in abutment with the inwardly extending means and its other end in abutment with the inner face of the cap crosswall, and arranged and adapted to urge the cap, rod and collet upwards with respect to the handle.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a holder designed operatively to hold an elongated razor type blade and comprising a tubular handle adapted to be used in an upstanding position and having inwardly extending means at its upper end, a collet mounted for the most part within, and longitudinally slidable with respect to, the handle and consisting of a shank and a plurality of resilient coacting jaws disposed beneath the shank, separated by an elongated, longitudinally extending, blade-receiving slot and having the upper ends thereof connected to the lower end of the shank and their lower ends laterally enlarged and located exteriorly of the lower end of the handle, said collet being adapted when slid downwards relatively to the handle to have the enlarged lower ends of the jaws move away from the lower end of the handle and spread apart into an open position for receiving in the portion of the slot therebetween a part of the blade, and being further adapted when slid upwards relatively to the handle to have the lower enlarged ends of its jaws so move into engagement with the lower end of the handle as to cause them to contract and grip said part of the blade, an inverted cup-shaped cap extending around, and mounted slidably and rotatably on, the upper end of the handle, consisting of a crosswall and a continuous depending skirt, a rod extending between, and connected to, the crosswall of the cap and the upper end of the shank, and adapted when the ca is slid downwards with respect to the handle correspondingly to slide the collet, and a spiral compression spring extending around the upper end of the rod, disposed wholly within the skirt of the cap, having one end thereof abutting against said inwardly extending means and its other end abutting against the inner face of the cap crosswall, and arranged and adapted to urge the cap, rod and collet upwards with respect to the handle, said rod being connected to the upper end of the collet shank by a screw thread connection in order that rotation of the cap relatively to the handle serves to effect variation in the compression of the spring.

EVERETT C. MANTHEY. ARNOLD M. THOMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 430,186 Johnson June 17, 1890 668,395 Stirckler Feb. 19, 1901 855,280 Campbell May 28, 1907 1,008,018 Cunningham Nov. 7, 1911 1,951,393 Castroviejo Mar. 20, 1934 2,250,237 Schwartzkoff July 22, 1941 

